


pieces, patched together

by lady_mab



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Secret Samol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 11:56:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13146204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_mab/pseuds/lady_mab
Summary: a series of character study vignettes for Kobus, the Candidate of Loyaltysecret samol 2017 gift (part 2) for @biofluorescens on twitter!





	pieces, patched together

**_Brontide_ ** _ \- The low rumbling of distant thunder. _

There’s no sound in space. Not in the way that the EarthHome movies make it. The high-pitched  _ pewpew _ of laser guns, the deep  _ whom _ of a spaceship exploding. 

There is silence. 

There is the creak and groan in the belly of the ship as it adjusts to the outside pressure. 

There is the sound of a heartbeat, thudding in the chest. The sound of breath, echoing on each rattling exhale. 

Kobus closes their eyes against the warmth of the sun and soaks it in. They soak in the soft wind caressing their cheeks, the flittering birdsong, the distant sound of chatter from the hanger. 

In the distance, a storm brews. Beneath their feet, Sigilia sings. They form a chorus, and Kobus revels in the harmony. 

* * *

**_Petrichor_ ** _ \- The smell of dry rain on the ground. _

The first time since becoming a Candidate, Kobus stands planetside and tilts their face up to the sky. Clouds roil and turn to slate above, dark and heavy with promise. 

“Candidate Kobus, please--” the tech says, trying to usher them inside. “It’s going to start raining at any moment.” 

They lift their hand and his words peter out. “It’s fine.” 

He doesn’t immediately leave their side, so Kobus puts on what they hope is a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. I just want to see the rain.” 

The tech is old enough to be their father. He gives them this look, caught between obeying their word and being an authority figure to a child. 

They’re a week out from fourteen. They pilot the Divine Loyalty. They have been in space for over a year. They do not need a well-meaning technician telling them to be wary of rain. 

“I’ll come inside when it starts,” they finally say as a compromise. “Just a few more minutes.” 

This works, and the tech walks inside with a wary nod of his head. 

Kobus turns their attention back to the horizon, where they can see the brewing storm start to churn. The breeze that washes over them is chill, brisk, and ripe with the smell of rain. 

There’s a sweetness in the air. They breathe it in. Gulp it down. Savor the idea of it on their upturned face. 

* * *

**_Concilliabule_ ** _ \- A secret meeting of people who are hatching a plot. _

“Don’t trust Candidate Ibex and Righteousness,” Vicuna told them, and Kobus had been so ready to take that to heart. 

She told them of his motives, his sneers. Of his self-declared power and role at the head of the pack. He treats himself like the king, and they should be his loyal subjects. (Kobus knows that she used this word on purpose. Because  _ they _ are Loyalty. And Ibex is Righteousness, and those are things that should not be mixed.)  

They met with Ibex if only to be ready to denounce him, ready to hate him. 

And then he treated them like an equal. Like someone deserving his full attention, instead of just just a child. 

Maybe, Kobus thought as they walked away from that meeting, maybe Ibex wasn’t the villain that Vicuna painted him to be. 

So when Ibex called (and he called often, to check on Kobus, to see how they were doing, to ask if they were enjoying themselves, or if there was anything he could do) to ask for Kobus’ help, they didn’t even hesitate. 

Vicuna took more convincing, but Kobus wanted her to be there. They still trusted her. 

He spoke of Rigour. He spoke of what needed to be done, on the danger it presented. What they needed to do. 

Vicuna hemmed and hawed, more ready to denounce this man she saw as her enemy than to agree to help.  _ Was there a threat that they couldn’t handle? _ she challenged. 

Ibex, in his calm, commanding manner, responded simply:  _ Yes. Yes there is. _

The three of them represent the strongest branches of the Diasporan community, the farthest reaches of Divine power. 

Kobus doubted that, knowing that they were only here because otherwise Vicuna would not have agreed under any other circumstances.

So it came as a surprise later when Ibex reached out to them on a personal communication.  _ “You understand the danger that we’re in, don’t you, Kobus?”  _

“I think I do.” 

_ “And you understand that we have to put these petty squabbles behind us? I am willing to surrender everything under my power if it means that I will have your assistance.”  _

Kobus didn’t know how to respond to that. “Mine, or Vicuna’s?” 

Ibex made a face before he was able to wrangle his emotions back under control.  _ “I wouldn’t be calling you if I didn’t think that you were a valuable asset, Kobus. Grace would be an added benefit, but I don’t hold out much hope for her changing her mind.” _

“So you want me to betray her?” 

_ “No. No, I would never ask that of you. I want you to do what you think is right. I can only hope that it aligns with what I wish.” _ He smiled, and Kobus suddenly understood what it meant to be loyal as well as Loyalty. 

* * *

**_Ayurnamat_ ** _ \- The philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed. _

“Vicuna!” they shout, standing up on their toes and waving her over. “Welcome back!” 

She strides over, and then keeps moving right past them. “Status report?” she asks, attention immediately on the crew of the station. 

Kobus hesitates, hand falling to their side as they wait. And they wait and wait until finally she turns her attention back to them. 

Her expression softens a degree, and she reaches out for them. Her hand hovers, then drops to their shoulder. “Kobus. You’ve grown.” 

“You say that every time.” 

“Doesn’t mean it’s not true. How is Loyalty?” 

They tilt their head, glancing over their shoulder in the direction of the far end of the hanger. Loyalty is just visible through the doors. Kobus can tell that they’re humming contentedly now that Grace has arrived. “We’re well.” 

Something flickers on Vicuna’s face and she nods. “That’s good.” She starts to move away, to follow after the technicians that are going to work on Grace. 

“I…” they start, and she stops -- poised on the balls of her feet. Ready to move on to her next task. “I was wondering if… you had time…” 

“Time?” Vicuna turns to face them completely, but doesn’t relax. There’s no expression on her face, but that’s a little worse than there being annoyance. “For what?” 

They open their mouth, and a half-formed sound comes out. “To talk.” 

“About?” 

They reach for Loyalty, and Loyalty reaches back. A comforting hand upon their brow, a gentle squeeze to their shoulder. Reassuring. Encouraging. “What Ibex said--” 

Her expression immediately flickers to annoyance, and Kobus flinches involuntarily. “Candidate Ibex has a lot of opinions on things that he shouldn’t. Don’t waste your time thinking about them.” 

“This isn’t  _ just _ about Ibex--” they say, and she rolls her eyes. “This is about the good of the Golden Branch.” 

Vicuna’s hand returns to their shoulder, a parody of Loyalty’s gentle caress. But that had been in their head. This was physical, a demand for their attention. “ _Candidate_ Ibex and Righteousness have a very different idea of what is good for the Golden Branch.”

“But don’t you think--?” 

“No, Kobus, I don’t think he has the right idea. I don’t think he even has a good idea. I think that he has let Righteousness corrupt him too far, and his actions are fueled by vanity. Don’t let yourself get charmed by him.” 

Kobus snaps their mouth shut. They haven’t been charmed. They were treated like an adult and treated with respect, their voice had been heard and considered. 

But behind them, alongside Loyalty, Grace is a heavy weight. The knowledge that sometimes it is better to back down. To accept the defeat. 

Vicuna’s mind is made up. 

And so is Kobus’. 

“I understand,” they say, bowing their head and taking a step back. 

She sighs, and shifts her grip to their neck, to grasp the back of their head, as she steps in to press her forehead against theirs. “We’ll be fine,” she says, and they trust her. “The Golden Branch is stronger than this.  _ We _ are stronger than this.” 

They don’t sigh, but they can feel themselves deflate. “I know.” 

“So leave it be.” She gives one final squeeze and lets them go. 

“I will.” It’s not quite a lie, but they know that they’re not telling the truth. 

* * *

**_Strikhedonia_ ** _ \- The pleasure of being able to say “to hell with it”. _

Loyalty, they realize, is a burden. 

What are they obligated to stay loyal to? 

The others -- Candidate Ibex and the Righteous Vanguard, Candidate Vicuna and the Hands of Grace, the Diaspora, Voice, Lux Vox. Themselves. 

Kobus is surprised to find how far down their own list that they rank. 

But at some point, they realize, that they just have to take something for themselves. 

Just this once. 

They stepped down from being a Candidate over a year ago. But something still sticks with them. Tied to their bones, tugging at their heart. 

What was it that Cassander had said?  _ I’m glad you shed Loyalty, but maybe you still have too much. _

They owe this much to the Golden Branch. They owe this to Ibex.

They owe this to themselves. 

So they return to Sigilia. They return to the base, where Grace and Vicuna are, because that is the only thing left. 

“Stand down, Vicuna,” they say, but she doesn’t. She’s grim and feral and she fights like a wild animal. 

It’s quick, vicious, and more than once, Kobus wonders if they’re doing the right thing. 

They don’t want to do this, but as they stare down at her, the tip of the sword aimed at her heaving chest, blood in the corner of her mouth, the only words they can say are, “You made me do this.” 

Before Vicuna can react, before she can claw her way back to her feet, they toss their sword aside and clamber into the cockpit of Grace. 

She’s larger than Loyalty. But the basics of the commands are the same. Close the door. Jam the lock. Override the systems. 

They give themselves only a second -- the briefest of moments -- to run their fingers along the edge of the drive containing Liberty. 

Then it passes and they ram it home into the port on Grace’s dash. The information comes fast, but they don’t let themselves hesitate. It’s an understanding that settles between them, warm and familiar, one that they realize they’ve missed. 

It’s been so quiet without Loyalty. 

Grace fights them, fights Liberty, but Kobus doesn’t hesitate. They know better than to hesitate.  _ I know, I know _ , they whisper to her, running their hands across her dash as they input the coordinates. 

And for one brief, fluttering moment, they are Freedom. 


End file.
